Somebloke - yes, they are entitled to their views. I query whether they should have a right to express them in a professional capability. They can go for it in their personal life, obvs, as long as they're prepared for those views to be countered.

I think that asserting that gay people should not be allowed to marry is trying to impose your views on others.

"If people cannot separate their own views from behaving politely and even-handedly to others then they should pick a line of work where that isn't going to be a problem."

I agree.

Conversely, I don't agree when people in a profession use their religion as a reason for abstaining from necessary parts of the job i.e the midwives who refused to carry out work pertaining to abortions, on the basis of their religion.

If your views, due to religion or even just personal beliefs, prevent you from performing your job well, you leave.

'Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It can be expressed as antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, or hatred, and may be based on irrational fear.'

My god, yes, it's just me.

Please explain to me how thinking homosexuality is wrong is NOT homophobia.

Dictionary definition of bigot: "a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance"

When you take on a professional role you accept certain standards. I cannot for instance tell a student that I find him attractive. This is not persecution or refusing me to express my sexuality, it is simply part of how you behave as a professional: you cannot express yourself fully in a professional role. People who have a problem with that shouldn't take this kind of job in the first place.

There was an utterly ridiculous woman (Grassroots Tory) on R4 yesterday saying if the Gay Marriage bill went ahead she didn't even know if she'd be allowed to call her husband her husband any more and as for her children, how was she meant to bring them up properly when marriage clearly no longer meant anything...?

I can kind of see where the 'swivel-eyed loons' statement came from.

The likes of Britney Spears, Katie Price et al have been far more insulting and damaging to the ideal of marriage than, say, Elton John and David Furnish.

I'm Catholic. I don't feel I have the right to impose my views on others (unless of course they ask for a debate) and in the course of my job it just wouldn't occur to me to do so. Whilst bigots are entitled to their views (I'm fairly bigoted about religious fundamentalists), they are not entitled to force those views on others. Why is that hard to understand?

'Conversely, I don't agree when people in a profession use their religion as a reason for abstaining from necessary parts of the job i.e the midwives who refused to carry out work pertaining to abortions, on the basis of their religion.

If your views, due to religion or even just personal beliefs, prevent you from performing your job well, you leave.'

My mother was a midwife. As a Catholic she could not help carry out abortions. Back in the more liberal (seriously) times she worked, this was never an issue. How ironic that those who are bigot witch-hunters think that it is acceptable to bully people like this now.

I am sure there are plenty of jobs for midwives even today which do not involve carrying abortions, but I would say that the onus is on the jobseeker to make sure the job they apply for is one they can carry out without compromising their conscience.

"No, telling midwives they should 'leave' if they can't carry out abortions is bullying. Quite different from telling them to keep personal views personal."

Has this actually happened though? My understanding is that the midwives wanted to stop providing aftercare after an abortion.

In which case, would you expect a teetotal nurse to refuse to stitch up someone who had fallen over whilst drunk? Or a pacifist nurse to refuse to care for a soldier? Or a nurse who believed in chastity refusing to treat STDs?